In The Shade
by R.S.Logan
Summary: Batman. He is a hero in the eyes of many and has done a number of great things in Gotham. But with his newest challenge, his Goddaughter Tris Carter, can he keep his secret and reveal hers as well? He doesn't have much time.
1. Chapter 1

**In The Shade**

**By: R.S.Logan**

**A/N: This story has been one of the most interesting and entertaining ones I've ever written. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing.**

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**Chapter One:**

Trisana 'Tris' Carter sighed as she loaded her bags into the back of the family car and prepared to leave yet another foster home. This was the seventh family that had 'loved her dearly but just didn't think they had the time and resources to care for a child with her unique qualities.' She hadn't lost hope in the world but she was beginning to think its people had lost hope in her. After her parents died two years ago Tris had changed dramatically and it seemed that no one wanted anything to do with her anymore. It may have just been that she was difficult, seeing as she sneaked out every night and was strangely secretive and silent. Or it could've been something to do with her telepathic powers and the way she just seemed to know things she shouldn't; she wasn't really sure. Maybe it was both.

She closed the trunk and got in the car where her foster family, the Peters, were waiting.

"Where am I off to this time?" She asked Gloria, the mother of the family.

Gloria smiled weakly. "You're going to stay with your godfather Trisana."

Tris raised an eyebrow. "Wait…my Godfather's dead…that's why I couldn't stay with him at first."

"Apparently they were mistaken." Elijah, her husband, said in a curt tone. "He returned just a few months back and was notified a week ago that you'd be living with him. What was his name again Trisana?"

Tris rolled her eyes; she'd never been able to get them to call her Tris. "Bruce Wayne." She said.

Elijah shook his head. 'Maybe this rich, hotshot will be able to deal with her.' He thought.

"I cannot believe we are accepting a teenage girl into our home with all that goes on here." Alfred ranted to Bruce as they waited for the anticipated arrival of their new guest. 

Bruce laughed. "Relax Alfred." He said with a faint smile. "It's nothing we can't handle."

Alfred looked doubtful. "I don't know Master Bruce…but I refuse to listen to loud rap music or escort her shopping for unnecessary items of revealing, pink clothing…I do hope you're correct in making this decision."

"There wasn't any decision to make Alfred." Bruce said. "I knew her father, Lance, at Princeton. We were close friends. They married and when she was born he and Bridget named me the godfather. I could never turn her down."

Alfred nodded. "I understand completely, Master Bruce. I meant no offense to the girl or her late family. I am just concerned that we might have finally met our match."

Just as he finished his sentence, a brown and beige station wagon pulled into the front drive and a tall, fit, girl with short, dark, red hair, gray eyes framed in black, plastic-rimmed glasses, and dark clothes stepped out, followed by two adults.

Bruce walked over to them as they began to unload the bags from their car.

"Here," He said to the girl. "Let me help you with your bags."

She smiled slightly at him. "Thank you but, I'm fine. I only have one."

Alfred looked her over and was suddenly very puzzled. She was not what he expected. He cocked an eyebrow and made his way over to the couple he assumed were the Peters.

"Would you like to come inside?" He questioned. "Master Bruce would surely

enjoy speaking with you and I'm sure young Trisana would love to say goodbye."

The couple shook their heads. "No thank you Sir," Gloria said. "We have two other children at home and we need to get back. Thank you for taking her in though."

Alfred nodded, confused as to their seemingly emotionless manner at losing a child, and followed Bruce and Tris inside.

"So…" Tris said calmly. "…You're not dead."

Bruce smiled. "I'm glad you've noticed. Should I show you your room?"

Tris shrugged. "I dunno…should you?"

Bruce smiled again and began upstairs. He continued down a long hallway and stopped in front of a pair of double doors.

"Here, this is yours." He said as he opened the doors widely.

Tris stared at the room in front of her. "…Wow." She said. "…Thanks."

She walked in and set her things down on the deep green, silk, bedspread and looked around, amazed, at the equally deep forest green walls and book lined shelves.

"I was told green was your favorite color." Bruce said.

Tris nodded. "Yeah…" she said. "That and black."

They stood in silence for a moment before Bruce spoke. "So." He asked. "Should I call you Trisana?"

She shook her head. "Actually, I go by Tris."

He nodded when suddenly Alfred came up behind him.

"Excuse me, Master Bruce, but you're needed downstairs at the moment."

Bruce nodded, instantly understanding the hidden meaning of his statement and turned to Tris. "I'm sorry Tris but, if you'll excuse me, I must take care of some business."

Tris nodded as he walked off. She had work to do too judging by the bat-shaped spotlight hovering in the sky. She quickly opened her suitcase, after she was sure she was alone, and pulled out her uniform. She smiled as she pulled on the long sleeve, flexible, black shirt, a pair of slightly loose, black, pants, and a long black leather trench coat along with a black hood she sewed on the back. She slipped on a pair of dark purple, flexible, leather gloves and slipped the hood over her head. It'd be good to be out in the night air again. Especially when she knew she was helping put criminals off the street.

Tris, or Shade, as she went by during the hours she spent in uniform, sighed as she breathed in the cool night air from her place on the roof. She'd seen the Bat Signal but yet couldn't, for the life of her, find a major incident in the city. Her family had died when she was almost fourteen because they had refused to be bought off by the criminal underground. The fire had been set that day at her house; her family had been trapped inside. After that she'd been obsessed with learning all about criminals and their tactics and ever since Batman had come to the city she'd been going out every night and putting her well-trained, technological and martial-arts skills to use. Suddenly she heard a swish of movement close behind her. She quickly spun around and grabbed and twisted the forearm of…Batman.

"Some reflexes…" He said.

Shade smirked coldly but yet inside she knew that was the most flattering complement she'd ever gotten. She relaxed her grip and he dropped his wrist to his side.

"Now," He said. "What's a girl like you doing in this pit of town?"

Shade's smile lessened. "Helping who I can…" She said quietly. "As you said…this isn't exactly the nicest part of Gotham."

The two were silent for a moment before he spoke again. "How old are you…um…"

"Shade." She said. "I'll be seventeen soon."

Batman raised his eyebrows. "Seventeen?" He asked. "Wow…judging by all the times I've seen you work I'd guessed you'd had about that much training. Who taught you anyway?"

Shade hesitated for a moment. "I taught myself." She said. "I started taking martial-arts when I was six…just as a hobby. But… certain events in my life caused me to rethink how seriously I took my training…and here I am."

Another moment of silence followed before she spoke again.

"You're 2-" She said.

She'd scanned his mind earlier and found this out but due to the fact that she didn't want anyone knowing who she was either, she respected his privacy when it came to his identity.

Batman smirked and admired her subtle attempt to change the subject. She wasn't threatened by him, he could tell, but she trusted no one. Although, the fact that she knew his age disturbed him and made him wonder just how much this girl knew.

She smiled weakly and was about to speak again when slight movement and the glint of a weapon caught her eye in the shadows behind Batman. She scanned out with her mind and found he was indeed armed with a handgun. She walked closer to Batman and pretended to examine his cape as to not alert the suspect and whispered softly.

"Listen closely. " She said. "There is an armed man in the shadows about twenty feet behind you."

He looked down at her and took the corner of his cape from her hands pretending to be explaining to her some fascinating detail about it's make and smiled at her.

"Good to know. But there's got to be more around. Are you bullet-proofed?" He asked.

Shade frowned a bit. "No. I don't exactly get an allowance."

He nodded and pulled out one of his bat-a-rangs. He 'showed it to Shade' then with lightning fast reflexes spun around and threw it catching the perpetrator's clothes in the shoulder and pinning him to crate he stood by.

Shade nodded as she looked around for more attackers. "…Some reflexes." She said.

Batman walked over to the man and held him up into the air by the collar on his shirt. "Are there more of you?" He asked.

The man whimpered but nodded fearfully.

"Where?" Batman demanded. "Where are they?"

But before he could finish his sentence Shade suddenly felt a firm hand and piece of cloth cover her mouth and pull her arm painfully behind her. She recognized the scent of the rag in his hand and immediately began to hold her breath. She'd already inhaled enough of the Chloroform to make her slow and dizzy but if she could escape before her breath ran out she had a chance of staying conscious.

"Hey Batty! "The man behind her said as he pushed her closer to the edge of the roof. "If you want your little girlfriend back alive you better step away from my buddy and drop the weapon. You never know…she may trip and fall."

Batman hesitated, looking for a way out of this, but finally stepped away from the man he'd been interrogating and let his weapon fall the floor.

"Alright…" He said. "Let her go."

The man's gripped loosed a bit and Shade took the advantage. She swung her body around and landed a high kick near his nose. She twisted her arm around trying to free herself but his grip was strong and her head was spinning. She could hear Batman running towards them and kicked out again, this time missing his lower back and hitting him in the back of his knee. He fell onto his stomach and flipped Shade around on top of him. Then, before she could establish how dangerously close to the edge they were, with one final shove he pushed her out and over until she dangled over the street twenty-four stories below; hanging only by the grip he held on her wrist. She could feel her vision going blurry and her body slowly giving into the drugs. She tried to grab onto something but her motor skills had slowed and she didn't have the strength to hold on. All that was keeping her alive, was the very man who had threatened to kill her moments earlier. She heard their voices above her arguing.

"Let her go." Batman said.

The man chuckled. "Or what? You'll kill me and let her fall to her death? Although, she's probably unconscious by now…she wouldn't feel a thing."

Batman narrowed his eyes at the man. "She was drugged." He said, trying to stall the man into making a mistake.

Shade listened harder but was now hearing other voices she knew were impossible to hear. Her mother and father's faces flashed before her eyes. Then the fire and all the police questioning, then her brother, Noah, was learning to ride a bike, the day she'd won the science fair. She shook her head and tried to concentrate but all sorts of random memories and images kept replaying themselves in her head.

He laughed again. "Yes…handy advantage isn't it? Anyway…this is taking too long."

"What do you want?" Batman asked through gritted teeth.

"Well," He said. "For starters, 500,000 dollars to fund a certain…project of mine. I'll contact you later with my details."

Suddenly the man disappeared instantly and Shade felt herself falling through the air. She could hear civilians screaming below her and would've screamed herself if she could've controlled her voice. She closed her eyes as she came closer and closer to the ground but a quick moment later felt a strong arm around her waist. Shade tried to look up into the person's face but her eyes had become too heavy to open and she gave in to unconsciousness.

Shade moaned and slowly opened her eyes. Quickly, she reached up and felt for her mask and heard a voice behind her.

"Don't worry." He said. "I respect your privacy."

Shade looked over in his direction and sighed. Much to her relief Batman was standing there with a tall glass in his hand.

"Here drink this…" He said to her. "It's water. It'll clear your head a bit."

Shade looked at him hesitantly but ultimately took the glass and sipped its contents.

"Thank you…" She said softly. "For everything."

He nodded. "Your welcome." He said. "But there is something we need to talk about."

Shade raised and eyebrow but nodded as he continued.

"The drug you inhaled was…"

"Chloroform." She finished.

He nodded but went on. "Yes…basically. The drug _you_ inhaled was also combined with something else…a rare poison called Xantrix. It's colorless, odorless, tasteless, and is designed to cloud the mind and memories by forcing parts of your brain to work over their limits and put the body into a state of paralysis. It would've eventually proven fatal if you hadn't been given an antidote to reverse its effects."

Shade nodded and took another sip from the glass in her hands. "…Thank you…again."

He smiled down at her and sat down in a wooden chair nearby. He looked at her for a moment before speaking again. "Have you ever seen that man before Shade?"

Shade began to shake her head but then stopped. "Wait…yes." She said with a slight frown of concentration. "He was following me the other night on patrol…I thought it was just a coincidence but to be safe I altered my routine and lost him."

Batman frowned. "I see. Well…if you don't mind I'd like to meet again. I want to continue monitoring the agent in your blood incase there's some sort of time release on the poison's effects. The second release could work even faster if there is one."

Shade nodded and stood up. "Fine…I'll see you around then." She said, knowing she had to get home soon before Bruce noticed she was gone. "I've got to get home."

A week or so later, Tris woke up in her room around 6:00. She'd climbed in through the window the night of her fall and so far to her knowledge no one knew she'd left the confines of her room. She got out of bed and put on a pair of black jogging pants with white stripes down the side and pulled a green tank top over her head along with a pair of running shoes and headed downstairs. When she reached the front hallway, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and opened the door.

"Where are you off to?" Alfred asked suddenly from behind her. "It's awfully early isn't it?"

Tris looked back at him and reluctantly shut the door. "I was just going for a run. I do it every morning."

Alfred nodded as he turned to leave. "Alright, go ahead." He said. "But just do you know there is a rather large exercise room on the third floor you are welcome to."

Tris went over her options for a moment and finally decided to go and see the room Alfred spoke of. When she arrived, she looked around and was shocked. Alfred had been right. The room was huge; complete with running track, pool, and what looked to be state of the art machinery. She sensed someone behind her and turned around to find Bruce smiling at her.

"Pretty cool huh?" He said with a child like grin on his face.

Tris nodded. "Yeah…pretty cool."

The two worked for a few hours before Alfred rushed in hurriedly. "Sir…" He said, obviously shaken up, as he handed Bruce the phone. "You have a call."

Bruce took the phone and held it to his ear.

A moment passed and he heard a man's voice from the end.

"…Hello…Batman."

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**A/N: Tee Hee! I hope you liked it! Until next time!**

**-R.S.Logan**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY! This story has been SOOOOO much fun to write. **Thanks to everyone who reviewed.** That REALLY makes my day a million-bazillion times happier! Well, here's the second chapter!

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**Chapter Two:**

Bruce stiffened and spoke coldly into the phone. "Who is this?" He demanded.

The man only laughed. "I've opened up an account at Gotham City Bank. Number 30227 B. I expect you remember our conversation on the roof the other night….yes, I believe you do. You've got until midnight or I take drastic action."

The next moment Bruce heard the line go dead. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I have to take care of something." He said, and stormed out of the room.

Tris looked back at Alfred, trying to hide her shock. She'd been listening to the whole conversation and unless that was just some freakishly coincidental prank call…then she was living with Batman himself. She thought for a moment, trying to recall all of the moments she spent with him and Bruce and could've almost slapped herself for not realizing it until now. Their voices were the same, he was pulled off to unexpected meetings and business matters frequently, and the man on the phone had known about the roof incident. Suddenly she was broken out of her reverie by her name being called.

"Tris…Trisana…Ms. Carter?" Alfred asked repeatedly.

"Oh…sorry." She said quickly. "I just…spaced off. I didn't get much sleep."

He nodded somewhat skeptically but Tris was already on her way to find Bruce. She reached his office minutes later and pulled the door open to find him sitting there with his head in his hands. He looked up at her and Tris sighed deeply. She knew those eyes…he was definitely not just Bruce Wayne.

She shut the door behind her and began to speak. "Bruce…" She said. "I know you have other things to think about right now but it's important that I talk to you about this."

He nodded and she continued. "I feel like there's something between us, some…secret…that' keeping us from really getting to know each other."

He looked at her again and she could sense a battle of emotions going on in his mind.

"I'm sorry Tris." He said tiredly. "It's just…I've been so busy lately…"

"I know." She said as she walked back towards the door and began to leave. "Just let me know if you ever need any help…after all…being a superhero can be tough."

She closed the door behind her and quickly walked off down the hall. Moments later the door behind her burst open.

"How did you…When did you…get back here." Bruce said, panicked.

Tris sighed and reluctantly followed him back into his office.

"When did you find this out?" He asked after shutting the door behind them.

She hesitated for a moment but the decided he deserved the truth…he had saved her life. "Just now." She said. "I…I sort of overheard your phone call."

"How did you figure it out? I could've just been a prank call." He said, tense and confused.

"Your eyes…" She said. "They're the same as his."

He stopped for a moment and tried to remember ever seeing Tris in his uniform. "When did you ever see me in uniform?"

Jayce stopped, looking for a way to explain this so as not to set him off. "You saved my life once." She said. "…Just the other night…on the roof downtown…"

Bruce's eye widened and he looked back at her in shock. "You. You're Shade?"

She nodded. He had known her answer was coming but still wasn't ready for it. "You were almost killed!" He said. "…Why didn't you tell me? You're…you're far too young to be out on the streets Tris…"

"_Don't _patronize me Bruce." She interrupted sternly. "I am _not_ a child and you know this. Trust is one of the hardest things in the world for me…don't make me regret telling you now. Either you'll accept it or you won't, but you _will_ get used to it."

She turned around and stormed out of the room down the hall. When she reached her bedroom she hurriedly dressed opened the window and leapt out onto the sidewalk. She didn't like others to question her intelligence or abilities and especially not when she had proven herself.

She sighed deeply and tried to think of other things. She'd been pushed onto so many families that didn't want anything to do with her and now here she was with someone who finally cared and she's screwed it all up.

'He'll probably send me away tomorrow.' She thought, though part of her knew this wasn't true.

She jogged for a few miles, trying to clear her head, before a van pulled up next to her.

She looked over at it and her eyes widened. In the passenger's was the very man who had dangled her over Gotham City's streets the other night on the roof. Suddenly the back door opened and four armed men jumped out and aimed their weapons.

"Don't move!" One of them shouted.

'Yeah right.' She thought.

She stood for a moment, pretending not to know who her pursuer was, and then sprinted off towards Wayne Manor as fast as her body could carry her.

She ran a half mile or so, dodging the occasional, before she felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder. She stumbled on the asphalt and knelt down gripping her arm in intense pain. Seconds later, the van caught up and the men jumped out again followed by the man she'd recognized.

"So…" He said. "_You're_ Wayne's Godchild…Ms. Trisana Carter, hmm? Nice to know we could do business then. He's not too fond of me."

Tris held onto her shoulder more tightly as to stop the rapid bleeding and spat at his feet.

"Go to hell." She said, as she felt her world going dark. She knew she was losing blood too fast but if she were going to die now she'd at least piss someone off in the process.

Just then Batman landed in front of her, seemingly from out of nowhere. Tris smiled a bit but soon collapsed onto the pavement unconscious.

* * *

Tris took a deep breath and groggily opened her eyes. She was home, in her own bed, with Bruce sitting next to her; a worried expression on his face.

He sighed when he realized she was awake and looked down at her. "How're you feeling?" He asked.

Tris nodded tiredly. "I'm fine…just…tired." She said fingering the IV cord in her arm. "What drug do you have me on?"

He smiled. It was just like Tris to avoid self-pity.

"I've put you on a low dose Morphine drip. Just for a few days to ease the pain in your shoulder." He said.

She smiled weakly. "Thanks." She said. "I guess this makes up for you calling me a child."

"Listen Tris…" He began solemnly. "I know you're fully capable of handling yourself out there it's just…it's my _job_ to worry about you now. I know I can't make you stop being Shade, given what you've been through, because I'm in the same place. Just…promise me you'll be careful."

Tris nodded. "I'll try." She said. "Speaking of which…now that I'm sort of friends with Batman himself…do you think I could maybe borrow something bulletproof? That seems to have been a problem lately."

Bruce smirked. "Hmm." He said sarcastically. "I'll see what I can do. Speaking of which I must introduce you to my friend, Lucius Fox."

Tris thought for a moment and then tensed. "Wait." She said. "What about that man…and all the money he wants?"

Bruce frowned and looked back at her. "I don't work with criminals." He said. "We'll just have to stay on guard. By the way, did he know you're Shade?"

Tris shook her head. "No. He called Ms. Trisana Carter and he knows that I'm your Godchild but he doesn't know I'm Shade."

Bruce sighed and she could see relief wash over his eyes.

* * *

After a few days of lying in bed, Tris was finally allowed to get up again. Her shoulder was in a sling and she wasn't supposed to move it more than necessary but at least she didn't have Bruce worrying about her anymore. The first thing she did was go see Bruce, she knew he'd been really busy lately and would most likely be in his office. When she arrived, she opened the door only to find him having a rather heated phone conversation. She scanned out with her mind and listened in.

"I've given you three days Batman…where is it?" Someone said from the other end of the call.

Bruce gritted his teeth. "I don't work with criminals."

"Hmm…that's a pity. But I think with a little persuasion we could work through this. After all, you wouldn't want young Trisana having an unfortunate accident. And your friend Shade…I don't believe you'd enjoy seeing her body on the six o' clock news." He said.

Bruce hesitated for a moment but then forcefully slammed the phone down onto the receiver.

"Hey." Tris said, breaking the silence. "Is this a bad time?"

He swung around in his chair and tried to smile. "No. Come on in." He said. "It's nice to see you moving around again."

Tris smirked. "Yeah…I rather enjoy it too." She thought for a moment about what she'd heard. "Bruce…he can't touch me."

He looked up, suddenly startled. "How…" He began. "Oh…I guess I was speaking rather loudly wasn't I?"

Tris nodded and proceeded to sit down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Yeah…" She said, not wanting to reveal her secret. "But…you know, he really can't hurt me. I'm safe here and I'm going to start training and work harder."

He nodded tiredly. "I know," He said. "But Tris…I know you haven't known me for all that long but I've known you since you were born. I _have_ to worry…"

"Oh come on Bruce." Tris said before he could get all emotional and nostalgic. "Shut up."

He looked back at her and smiled. "Fine." He said. "I'll stop."

A moment later, Alfred came into the room and looked over at Bruce. "I'm so sorry to interrupt Master Bruce but you're needed downtown."

Tris smiled. "Fine!" She said sarcastically. "Be that way! Just leave! Save the world without me!"

He smiled back at her and began to leave. "I'll be back soon Tris. Stay inside."

* * *

Tris sighed as she finished the last page in her book. She'd been sitting here for hours and Bruce still hadn't gotten home yet.

She got up and put the book away onto one of the many shelves in her room and walked over to the window. The stars were beautiful and the moon was full; the ideal night to be out.

Suddenly Tris felt strangely dizzy. She grabbed onto the windowsill and tried to steady her balance but the effect continued to increase. She started towards the doorway to get Alfred but stumbled a few feet from it.

She got up again and opened the door but soon collapsed again against the doorframe. She tried to call Alfred or to move at all but her body wasn't responding. Suddenly, she heard voices and images flashed across her vision.

"_You. You're Shade?" "Don't patronize me Bruce!" "Go to hell!" "You wouldn't enjoy seeing her body on the six o' clock news." "I don't work with criminals." "It's my job to worry Tris." "Should I show you to your room?" "But…my Godfather's dead…" "I love you too Mom." "Noah! Stop pulling my hair! I need that!" "May I help you with your bags?" "I'm sorry…there was nothing else we could do for them." "Just one more story Daddy? Please!" "We just don't have the time and resources to care for a child with your unique abilities." "Are you bulletproofed?" "Your eyes…they're the same as his." Ms.Trisana Carter?" "Trisana?" "Tris?" "Tris!" "Tris!"_

"Tris!"

Suddenly Tris' eyes shot open and she gasped for breath. She could feel Bruce shaking her shoulders and calling her name. She coughed and continued to breathe like she hadn't in years.

"Tris?" She heard Bruce say. "Oh, thank you…thank you, thank you, thank you. Tris are you alright?"

Tris nodded weakly and looked over at him. Except for his helmet, he was still in uniform. "W-what happened?" She asked in a whisper.

Bruce closed his eyes for a second in relief and then began to explain. "There was a second release of the Xantrix in your bloodstream. Most poisons in that chemical family are created to show symptoms when it first enters the body and a second or even third time when the victim is in a relaxed calm state. Each time it works faster…in fact…I was almost sure we'd lost you this time."

Alfred sighed deeply from the other side of her and she looked over at him. "Lucky for you we still had a sample of the antidote…we found you just in time."

Tris nodded and smiled at the two of them. "Thank you…" She said and then drifted off into sleep.

* * *

A day or so later, Tris woke up to her own room and looked around. Her shoulder sling was gone and the clock read 9:34. She got up and dressed, and then headed downstairs to start the day. When she reached the kitchen, Bruce and Alfred were having a conversation over toast and didn't even notice her arrival. She walked up behind them and, as they still hadn't spotted her, grabbed a piece of toast from Bruce's hand and bit into it.

"Mmm." She said as they looked at her quizzically. "This is good toast."

"Well, you're up later than usual." Bruce mocked, in exchange for her stealing his toast.

"Well, yeah." Tris replied. "When you're almost poisoned to death you get certain privileges. By the way, does this mean I can be two handed again?" She said pointing to her shoulder.

Alfred nodded. "Yes, Trisana. Your arm should have healed enough by now that, as long as you do not strain it, you can begin using it again."

"Finally!" She said. "I was just about ready to rip the thing off it had gotten so annoying."

Bruce smiled and finished his breakfast. "Alright." He said to Tris." As much as I hate to do this right now after everything that's happened…I really need Shade's help tonight."

Tris smiled widely but then regained her composure. "I'll see if I can pencil you in Batty."

Alfred chuckled and Bruce just looked at her dangerously. "Alright, aright, I get it. I won't call you that."

Bruce smiled a bit and picked up another piece of toast. "…Thank you." He said. "Otherwise I would've been busy for hours trying to find some stupid nickname for you and I'm really too busy to be bothering myself at the moment."

Tris smiled and was about to reply but stopped when they heard the bell ring at the front door.

"I'll get it." Tris said as she left the kitchen.

When she opened the door though no one was there. She looked around for a moment and finally spotted an envelope on the mat in front of her feet. It read:

_For: Ms. Trisana Carter,_

_Courtesy of the Ghost._

"Bruce." She said reactively. "Um…you'd better come here and see this."

Bruce arrived seconds later and examined the envelope Tris had shown him.

"This must be the man who keeps calling me…Ghost. Well, at least we have a name for him now." He said.

"Do think it's safe to open?" Tris asked. "I'm not betting it's just a friendly letter."

Bruce nodded. "No, I think you're right. Come on, we're going to see Lucius."

* * *

When they arrived in the basement of Wayne Industries Tris' eyes widened in shock.

"Wow…" She said. "I officially want one…"

Bruce laughed a bit and spotted Lucius. "Lucius, I'm sorry to come on such short notice but I need your help. This letter was set on my doorstep and I'm not sure it's safe to open. Would you mind if…"

"Not at all." He said. "I'll run some tests."

He ran a few various tests on the envelope before finally sighing and placing it in a sealed container.

"Good thing you came to see me." He said. "That envelope was laced with a weaponized form of a poison called Xantrix. Here's your message though. I was able to see it through the light scan."

Bruce took the envelope and sighed as he read the message.

_It's been a while hasn't it Tris?_

_Don't worry though, I'm sure we'll be seeing each other soon enough._

_I do hope, however, you're doing well._

_We wouldn't want Batty's little girl falling ill now would we?_

_-Ghost_

He handed the message to Tris and rubbed his temples. This man was getting too close.

"Thank you Lucius," He said. "But we'd better get going."

"Alright Bruce, just be careful." Lucius replied. "And one more thing, I don't believe the young lady and I have been introduced as of yet."

Bruce smiled. "Oh, sorry. Um…Lucius fox, this is Tris Carter my Godchild." He said. "Oh and…by the way do you think you could fit her for one of those bulletproof suits you've just got lying around here?"

The two strangers shook hands and Lucius smiled down at her. "Why not?" He said. "More spelunking I presume?"

Bruce shrugged and smirked. "Yeah…" He said. "Something like that."

* * *

A few hours later, new Tris-sized bulletproof suit in hand, Bruce and Tris arrived back home. It was already getting dark and Tris was anxious to get back on the streets. She hurried up to her room, changed into her uniform and leapt out the window. She'd meet up with Bruce later at their designated spot.

Sure enough, after a good hour of picking off petty thieves, Shade took her place on the roof of Wayne Industries and walked up to the dark figure she knew as Batman.

"Clear night…" She said as she leaned onto the railing beside him.

Batman nodded. "So, how's it feel being out again?" He asked smiling at her.

Shade smirked and looked back at him. "Let's just say I'm enjoying myself. So…what did you need help with."

"I think I've figured out where some of this Ghost's 'friends' are hiding out but I need a second opinion."

Shade nodded. "Alright…Let's go."

She followed him for a few blocks before he stopped in front of an old, rundown, brownstone. The windows were boarded up and if it hadn't been for the men who had just entered through the rusty front door, Shade would have been convinced that no one had been even near here in fifty years.

"This is it." He said. "I've seen the Ghost hang around here more than once and I've even caught bits of conversation between him and some of the men we just saw go in."

Shade nodded. "Sounds like a reasonable assumption to me."

Bruce agreed and the two made their way their way closer to the building. Moments later however three men swung open the door and walked out; one of them was Ghost. The two quickly hid behind a nearby crate and listened in to the heated conversation they were having.

"What do you mean you still can't find her?" Ghost shouted angrily.

"She hasn't been on her patrol for almost two weeks now. Maybe you finished her the first time." One of his flunkies said fearfully. "I mean…she was drugged and poisoned when you dropped her."

"No." Ghost yelled again. "She's stronger than that and so is that damned bat! She's out there somewhere and you are _going_ to find her!"

The men nodded cowardly, hopped in a black car nearby, and left.

"Stay here…" Batman whispered to her. "I'll be back."

Shade was about to protest but Batman had already jumped up onto the crate, exposing himself to Ghost.

"Nice night." He said darkly. "Although it seems it's not exactly going well for you."

Ghost smiled at him evilly. "Batman…how polite of you to drop in. I assume my letter was received?"

"Stay away from her Ghost."

"Oh I will…as soon as it's convenient to my cause. By the way, if you happen to run into your friend Shade please inform her that I'd just love to meet up sometime, under more…controlled…circumstances." He said with a sinister smile. "I'll see you around."

Suddenly Ghost vanished into thin air. Batman searched around him frantically before running back to where he'd left Shade.

She was gone.

* * *

A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUUN! Cue suspenseful theme music Lol! Well, I hope you all enjoyed it and I PROMISE I'll post as soon as I can! Reviews are appreciated!

-R.S.Logan


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **EEP! Well...here's chapter three! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Batman Begins or any of the original Batman characters. I do however own the Ghost and Trisana Carter. Thankies!

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

"Shade?" He whispered as he looked around. "Damnit! Shade!"

He looked down at his wrist and pushed a button on the band he was wearing. A small circular screen unfolded and a bright green dot was shown moving down the street six blocks from here. He knew it had been a good idea to track her. He sprinted towards where the radar showed she was as fast as he could and instinctively pulled a few bat-a-rangs from his belt. He ran a few blocks more before he finally saw her. She was running faster than he'd ever seen her go and seemed to be chasing something he couldn't see. Suddenly she stumbled and landed on her side in the street.

"Show yourself you coward!" She yelled as she stood up and Batman drew closer. "I know you're there!"

Batman ran up behind her and grabbed her shoulder. "Shade!" He said. "What do you think you're doing? There's no one there."

Shade gritted her teeth and desperately reached out with her mind. She knew she'd sensed the Ghost run down here. She couldn't see him but she just knew. She scanned out until she finally found him and concentrated all of her mind's energy into his being. Then it hit her.

'That's how he's doing it.' She thought to herself. 'He can become invisible…that's why no one can see him.'

She concentrated on him harder and soon, as she'd hoped, he'd begun to slowly make his way back into view. Batman stared between the two in disbelief but soon pushed his confusion to the side and went to help steady Shade's swaying form. A moment later, she opened her eyes and smiled.

"There…" She said. "He's not so much of a Ghost anymore now is he?"

Batman looked down at her and then back up to where Ghost had been standing moments before. They hadn't caught him yet, but at least now they knew his secret.

* * *

"So…" Bruce said to Tris after a few hours of some thorough explaining in his study. "How long have you been telepathic?"

Tris shrugged. "I dunno…" She said. "Since…as far back as I can remember really. It creeped most of my foster families out."

Bruce nodded. "I can see how. Although…I can also see how it would come in handy."

The two were sat in silence for a moment before Bruce spoke again. "From now on Tris you need to be careful." He said with a frown. "He hasn't made the connection between you and Shade yet but he's targeting both of them. You heard them talking."

"Yeah…I know." She said with a yawn. "I'll be careful. Just…try not to worry about me too much."

He smiled. He knew it was meant to be sarcasm but he truly took her advice to heart. She was right, he'd dealt with worse before…he could surely handle this.

* * *

About a week later, with no strange occurrences or incidents, Tris woke up groggily and got dressed before in her usual flexible, black, attire before heading downstairs. As she neared the kitchen, however, she heard voices. One of which she didn't recognize.

"So…" The voice said. Obviously it was a young, male. "You've got a nice place…"

"Thank you." Bruce said. Tris could hear the tense strain on his voice. He wasn't nervous or scared, but very cautious and self-contained.

"I do hope you'll like it here." He started to say something else but soon spotted Tris in the stairwell.

"Oh." He said with relief in his voice. "Tris. So good to see you. I do hope you slept well?"

Tris smiled uneasily and studied the kid as she answered him back. "Uh…yeah, sure."

He was about Tris' height and was very fit. His ruffled hair was a dark ebony and his eyes were a deep blue color Tris had never seen before. She stared into the deep pools of his eyes for a moment before realizing how childish she must look. "Er…may I ask who you are?"

The boy looked startled for a moment but then answered a moment later. "Oh…uh…hi." He said. "I'm Dick Greyson…um…I'm Mr. Wayne's new ward."

Tris cocked an eyebrow at Bruce as if to say 'I thought you could barely handle me.'

He sighed and began attempting at an explanation. "He's a ward of the company. His father worked for Wayne Industries for over thirty years and before he died he signed a contract saying that if anything were to happen to him and his wife that Dick should be taken care of. He'd been retired for nine years but had fallen on hard times and got a job in acrobatics, of all things. He died four years ago and Dick here has been moving from foster family to foster family, quite like yourself Tris."

"Um…ok." Tris said. "Are there any _more_ orphans unknowingly entrusted to you that you'd like to take in any time soon? Cause, as much as I love surprises…a little warning would have been nice."

Bruce nodded suppressing a laugh. "No Tris. There aren't any more. Just you and Dick. Oh…by the way. Richard Greyson this is Trisana Carter. Tris Carter, Richard Greyson."

The two acknowledged each other and shook hands before giving into an awkward sort of silence.

"So…er…" Tris said, trying to break the uneasy tension in the room. "When did you get here?"

Dick shrugged. "About ten minutes ago really. You were right on time."

Tris smiled a bit. She could tell the kid was uneasy and she could empathize with what it felt like to be suddenly shoved onto a new family and completely new concepts and people. She would've attempted to comfort him, even though she had little to no experience in the subject, but seconds later Alfred walked into the room.

"Oh…good morning Trisana, Master Dick." He said, nodding to each of them in turn before turning to Bruce. "I'm sorry to interrupt Sir but need I remind you that you have a faculty meeting you're scheduledto be atin twenty minutes?"

"Oh, no Alfred. I was just leaving." Bruce said an smiled. "I'll be home later Tris, Dick. Not too long, just a few hours."

Bruce and Alfred left and Tris was left standing alone with the new boy.

"So…" He started. "Um…"

Tris had to hold back a laugh. "Yeah." She said. "I'm out of things to talk about too."

He smiled at her and then thought of something.

"Hey." He said sort of hesitantly. "You don't…have some sort of…exercise, training room do you?"

Tris smirked. "As a matter of fact we do. Follow me."

When they reached the training room Tris showed him in. She smiled as his eyes seemed to light up.

"Well, here we are." She said. "You're welcome to any of the equipment and if you need anything…well, just ask."

The boy nodded.

"So…" Tris began after he'd started examining all of their equipment. "What do you train for?"

"Acrobatics." He said. "I know some martial arts too but as I'm sure Bruce told you my family worked as acrobats and well…I thought it looked fun so they taught me too. We trained hard every day and it just feels weird if I don't now."

"I know how you feel." Tris said. "You don't have to explain yourself."

He nodded. "So…what do _you_ train for?"

"Martial Arts." She said quickly. "I'm crazy about them. We could spar sometime if you like…"

He smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah. That'd be cool…so, where do we do this?"

Tris cocked an eyebrow. "Right now?" She asked.

"Um…if that's alright…" He said. "I mean, we can wait if you want to but…you know, whatever."

Tris smiled a bit. "Okay…right now it is." She showed him over to a series of mats and began stretching.

"So," He asked. "How long have you been training?"

Tris thought for a moment. "Ten years. She said finally. "But the last two and a half have been pretty serious."

Dick gulped. He'd been training for seven years and although there wasn't all that much of gap in their experience, there was something he saw in Tris' eyes that made him nervous. Determination…fearlessness…lightning…

"Let's do this."

The two bowed to each other and worked their bodies into the ready stance. He jumped at her moments later with a speed Tris hadn't expected. Forcing her to remind herself he was a trained acrobat. He then let out a series of jabs, which she blocked easily before swinging her leg behind his knees and kicking out, causing him to fall and be pinned on his back in seconds.

"Wow." He said as he got up. "That was the shortest match I've ever been in…"

Tris smiled. That had been her shortest match as well but, although she won, he had been much more talented than she'd expected.

"Again?" She asked.

"Again."

The two sparred for a few hours more until Tris noticed Bruce standing in the corner of the room watching them and stopped, mid-punch.

"How long have you been there?" Tris asked with a smirk as she tried to catch her breath.

Bruce chuckled. "A near ten minutes. You both are doing well."

His wards smiled and so did he.

"Tris." He said. "If Dick here doesn't mind, I need to speak with you privately for a moment."

Tris nodded and stepped outside into the hallway with him.

"How's he doing?" Bruce asked as he shut the door.

Tris shrugged. "I dunno…fine I guess." She said. "You know, he's pretty fast."

Bruce smiled. "I noticed."

They stood in silence for a moment before Tris spoke again. She could tell something was bothering him. Even without reading his thoughts.

"This isn't why you really called me out here is it?" She said, receiving an odd look from her Godfather. "No Bruce, I didn't read your mind. I respect your privacy. I can just…tell. You know, when your nervous or tense."

He nodded solemnly and took a deep breath. "Tris…" He said. "There's been a hit put out on Shade. Apparently, the Ghost is offering one million dollars in cash to anyone who can bring you in alive. He's put the word out to the entire criminal underground."

Tris closed her eyes and breathed. She didn't know what to think anymore. "…Thanks for telling me Bruce." She said. "I guess…I guess this means I'll just have to be twice as careful."

"Actually Tris…I'd feel a lot better about all this is you wouldn't leave the house until this is resolved."

"What? Bruce, I understand your need for concern but…who knows how long that will be? I'm Shade for a reason…I can't just…quit! And what if you need help Bruce? I…"

"Tris!" Bruce said loudly, ending her rant.

Tris sighed and regained her composure. "Bruce…"

"I know Tris…I know. I'm not too fond of the situation either." He said softly. He knew where she was coming from and he hated having to do this to her but it was for the best. "And as for me needing help…I don't know Tris…I'll figure something out."

Tris stood for a moment before opening to door to the training room and beginning to walk inside. "I need to go hit something."

* * *

Hours later, after some more rigorous training to help calm her nerves, Tris sighed. She went into her room and dropped heavily onto her bed. She wasn't scared and she wasn't nervous, but being Shade had been the only way she was able to stay sane when she thought about her family. Without being out there fighting, she felt she was forgetting them and all they did for her.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Uh...Tris?" Dick called through the doorway. "Uh, Bruce told me to tell you he'd be back late and not to wait up."

"Yeah right." Tris muttered. "Ok." She said out loud to him.

"So…uh…" He said then. "You, er, wanna do something?"

"No thanks Dick." She said solemnly. "But thanks for caring."

"Anytime Tris."

* * *

(( Four AM: Two weeks later.))

Tris sat up in her chair and closed her book as Bruce finally arrived home after a long night out. He spotted her and sighed.

"Tris…" He said as he took off his mask and locked the door. "Do you sleep at all?"

"Not when you're out." She said. "But I'm an insomniac anyway. I've never had trouble with running on zero sleep."

Bruce sat down across from her and too a deep breath. "Tris…I know this is hard for you." He said. "Believe me, it's hard for me too. I _hate_ it that I have to do this to you."

Tris was about to reply when she suddenly notice something on Bruce's right arm. Blood.

"Bruce?" She said as she stood up and walked to his right side. "Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" She touched his arm lightly and he flinched and pulled away.

"It's nothing Tris. It's just a scratch." He looked back at her for a moment and almost laughed at her expression. It screamed of concern and an anger that had been building for weeks. It scared him a little to see such powerful emotions directed at him yet it reminded him _so_ much of himself. He gave in.

"Fine." He said. "Have a look if you must."

Tris hurried towards him and pulled over the ripped mesh of his uniform to reveal a rather large gash on his upper arm. She studied it for a moment before lightly brushing her fingers over it. All sense of pain vanished.

"Just a scratch huh?" Tris asked as thought nothing had happened.

Bruce's eyes were wide and he simply stared at her for a moment. "Tris…what did you just do?" He asked amazed. Every single day this girl became more and more intriguing.

"Oh…your arm." She said. Again as if not a thing was wrong or out of the ordinary. "It's just…It's just something I do."

"You can take away pain?" He asked her.

"No…Heal."

Sure enough, Bruce looked down at his arm and realized that she had been telling the truth. His injury had vanished.

"What…when…you…how did you…this has something to do with your telepathy doesn't it?"

Tris nodded. "It's all a matter of understanding how to compartmentalize feelings and thoughts in the brain; Psychology." She said. "All I had to do was absorb the pain in your arm and accelerate the area of your mind that creates blood clots and regenerates tissue."

Bruce raised and eyebrow. "You know…you're _way_ too smart for your age."

"Um…thanks." Tris said. "I guess."

They stood for a moment. "Thanks Tris." He said.

"Anytime."

Suddenly Tris Bruce heard footsteps coming down the stairs to the kitchen. The steps were light. It was Dick. Tris turned from her focus on the stairs to warn Bruce but found only air in his place and a gentle wind blowing in through the kitchen window. She smiled.

"Tris?" Dick asked as he reached the bottom of the staircase. "What are you doing up?"

"Oh…uh, nothing really." She said. "Just, getting some fresh air and a cup of tea. What about you?"

"Oh…just…I heard voices. Was there someone else here Tris?"

Tris feigned confusion. "Er…no." She said. "No one was here Dick…just me."

"Oh…okay then." He said. "Goodnight."

Tris nodded and he headed back upstairs to bed. Moments later, however, the loud crash of breaking glass erupted from the upstairs hall Tris' senses stood on edge. Quickly, and silently she hurried upstairs. There in the hallway stood Dick and four armed men dressed in black, two were already unconsciously slumped against the wall. Dick was apparently holding his own.

"Don't move!" One said sternly as he raised his weapon to Dick's chest. He was obviously trying not to wake someone else in the house.

Dick froze. Tris could see anger and frustration in his eyes. She knew she had to help him but she didn't know how without revealing to whoever those men were that she was Shade. She had to get Bruce. She turned on her heels to start back down the stairs but seconds later heard a voice in her ear and the cocking of some sort of gun.

"Take one more step and you're dead witch."

* * *

**A/N:** Tee Hee! Oh how I LOVE writing this! Well, just so everyone knows I 'd REALLY REALLY REALLY appreciate it if you review. I'm thinking about not posting unless I get a good amount just because part of the reason I post on fanfiction is to know what others think. Well...we'll see. I hope everyone enjoyed it! Until next time,

-R.S.Logan


	4. NOTE: finally

wow. i can't barely believe it's been so long since i've been on here at all. i am terribly, terribly sorry about my leave of absence and broken promises, but i do have good news. the ever fickle muse of inspiration has been prodding me towards this story again. i am re-writing it and have already begun, so expect to hear from me in the next few weeks. thank you for your patience.

-R.S.Logan


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